As a new manufacturer, BASN certainly seems to know what they’re doing. The BASN MTPro join the ever-growing ranks of planar IEMs and do so with good success: they offer a detailed, technical sound with very good speed, though there are some issues with the tuning.
Disclaimer: I was sent a free unit by BASN themselves. They sell the MTPro for $199. Additional information on their website.
TL;DR: recap
| Pros |
Cons |
| + Built to a very high standard
+ Incredible accessory set + Great technical ability |
– Mids can sound a bit hollow
– Treble can be a bit aggressive – Possible issues with internal wiring |
Rating: 7.5/10
Packaging & Accessories
I am not necessarily a fan of the so-called “unboxing experience”: it is generally a marketing gimmick with very little practical effect. However, in this case I feel like BASN managed to have an unboxing experience which really works well: the earphones come in a metal case which holds a huge variety of accessories. Inside the metal case is a (faux?) leather pouch which holds a cable, a 3.5 mm to 6.3 mm jack adapter, a little brush to clean the earphones, a second cable with an inline remote and microphone as well as a full set of eartips which includes single-density white silicone tips with one, two and three flanges, as well as foam tips, all in three different sizes. There are also a plastic tool to remove the cable from the earphones as well as a clip to secure the cable to your clothes.
The case appears to be very resistant and is lined with microfibre cloth.
Design & Comfort
The BASN MTPro are entirely made of metal, a fact which the company is so proud of that they write it on the box. The main part of the shell has a gunmetal colour, whereas the faceplate is black and hosts the BASN logo in white, with the forward-facing side sporting a silver “slice”. While there is not much space for originality in design here, the MTPro look elegant without being too serious.
Build quality is very high and I can’t find any faults with it. The metal parts are manufactured with very strict tolerances, so they join almost perfectly.
Due to the relatively large size, the comfort offered by the BASN MTPro is good, but limited; especially if you have smaller ears, it can prove challenging to wear the earphones for more than an hour.
Passive isolation is limited, though it is sufficient to reduce sounds from the outside by a few decibels, enough so that you don’t have to raises the volume a lot. You won’t find great isolation, though: to give you a practical example, I can still hear the sound of the KiiBoom Moonshadow 81 keyboard I am using to type this.
There are two cables in the box; both are very similar, with the largest difference being that one has an inline remote with a microphone and the other doesn’t. Both feature four braided cores which divide into two twisted pairs after the Y-split. They’re decently soft and malleable and offer little microphonics, and they don’t tend to coil up. All the various casings (jack, Y-split, MMCX) are made of metal. The inclusion of the tool to remove the cable is not casual, as it requires a good bit of force to take it out and the tool is really useful in that regard.
Sound & Specs
Before proceeding with the analysis of the sound, one thing I have noticed is that the MTPro buzz a lot when I connect them to any of my desktop audio devices. Thinking this could be an issue with the cable, I tried replacing it with one that I knew was working, but to no avail; using a balanced connection had no effect, either. I then tried to see if the issue was due to a ground loop in my home’s mains, but that turned out not to be the case as I unplugged literally everything and turned off every single socket (for those not in the UK: there are buttons that allow you to turn off sockets here), to no avail. I then tried the earphones on my laptop, but they buzzed whether it was plugged in or not. They also exhibited the same behaviour when I connected the laptop to the mains in other places and that was the final clue that the unit I received might be defective. I think it could be due to bad wiring inside the earphones themselves. I asked BASN, but they said they didn’t hear of any other similar issues and that they wouldn’t send me another unit to confirm if mine was indeed defective, claiming I would have to buy another one with my own money if I wanted to test this. Since I unfortunately cannot afford to buy expensive earphones just to test if the unit I have is defective, I did not buy a new one; therefore I couldn’t be sure either way and the only reasonable conclusion I can come to is: I cannot be sure if this is an issue that is specific to my unit or not, so I can’t rule anything out.
Having said that, I tested the BASN MTPro with a few different sources, mostly with a battery and using Bluetooth as that would remove the issue with the buzzing. I wrote the following notes using a Shanling UP5 connected to a Linux-powered computer compatible with LDAC, and using the stock foam tips.
BASN MTPro |
| Frequency response | 20 – 20,000 Hz |
| Impedance | 32 Ω |
| Sensitivity | 102 dB |
The soundstage is neither especially wide nor deep, but it does give you a well-rounded image that extends from the far left to the far right. Imaging takes real advantage of this by taking advantage of the whole stage to place the instruments, which all have their own very clear position on the stage. Instrument separation is exceptional and gives the sound as a whole an incredibly clean finish: you can clearly follow each instrument on its own with all the details, even in crowded tracks, with ease.
Bass is fairly neutral, with very good depth and linearity that extends to the lower notes. It does not conform to the Harman curve, though, so it might sound reserved to some; I find that it hits the sweet spot between offering good presence and fun without exceeding in the latter direction. What is especially notable about it are both the speed and the physicality. Thanks to the large diaphragm, the MTPro deliver very physical bass which you can actually feel. The speed is remarkable, too, with transients sounding immediate and with a short decay (and therefore very convincing).
Midrange is similarly fast and physical, and it offers a very high level of detail which borders on being analytical, as you can hear very minute details. It is fairly warm, though it has also a bump in the upper region which make for a slight V shape. The only possible issue is that the middle region tends to be slightly recessed compared to the rest, which can make some instrument sound a little more distant and muted than intended. Boosting the range between 1 kHz and 2.5 kHz by just a couple of dB makes a whole lot of a difference and brings out the mids nicely.
Treble has a lot of detail as well, but it also features a couple of peaks around the 8 kHz and 12 kHz regions which can be a bit problematic at times as they can introduce sibilance and fatigue. Extension is good, though there is a constant decline as the frequency goes up, so that the upmost area is a bit recessed. Still, it is internally decently well balanced, though the peaks do affect the overall tonality of the earphones and give unwanted colouring to it.
Final Thoughts
The BASN MTPro are interesting IEMs, especially considering the price they are sold at. I especially like their technical ability, which is commendable. While not downright exceptional, the MTPro are well-rounded and offer solid performance. There are, however, a couple of things to keep in mind: one is the buzzing issue, about which I won’t go on further, and the other is the tuning, which could see a bit of refinement to bring out the mids and make it more balanced. All in all I find them enjoyable, especially if you like good speed and detail in your sound, which is why I can recommend them.
